Acetylene gas generator



Filed Feb. 3, 1954 INVENTOR. LF P J 2. R m

United States PatentO 2,773,754 ACE'I'YLENE GAS GENERATOR Leopold E. Garcia, Bernalillo, N. Mex. Application February 3, 1954, Serial No. 407 ,838

2 Claims. (11. 48-533) The present invention relates to acetylene gas generators and more particularly to a portable generator suitable for field operations in welding and cutting by oxy-acetylene torches.

In military, and in some industrial, operations it is essential that Welding and cutting apparatus be not only easily portable but that it be compact and be readily manipulated at the scene of operation. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to assemble the parts of a gas generator in such a manner that it will be light-weight, compact, having all its essential mechanical parts integrated into a single unit, and easily and quickly controlled by hand.

It is also an object of the invention to reduce cost of manufacture, the apparatus being assembled as a single unit with few and inexpensive parts.

It is a further object of the invention that available containers, such as common water pressure tanks and some fuel drums, be utilized, the feeding and control apparatus being attachable to such containers without alteration of either the container or generator.

The device is adaptable for other uses, such as heating and fighting, as will be obvious from the following description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawings in Which Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the feed control and hopper, illustrating its attachment to a generator chamber;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of the feed control;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the feed control; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, it will be seen that the hopper comprises a container 11, preferably cylindrical in shape, having a conical bottom 12 terminating in a threaded end portion 13 and having a discharge opening 14 therein. The upper end 15 of the hopper is apertured at 16, a diaphragm 17 closing the aperture. A spout 18, having a closure cap 19, is provided to permit filling of the hopper with a suitable quantity of carbide. The flow of carbide through discharge opening 14 is controlled by a discharge valve 21 on the lower end of rod 22, the upper end of the rod being threaded through diaphragm 17 and secured thereto by not 23.

Mounted on container 11 over aperture 16 is an inverted U-shaped bracket 24 secured to sealing ring 25, the latter overlying the marginal periphery of diaphragm 17 and held firmly against the diaphragm by springs 26. These springs are held under compression by headed bolts 27 threaded through the sealing ring and the top of the container. It will be seen that spring 28 is also secured to the diaphragm, the upper end of the spring being hooked over lever 29 which is pivotally connected at one end to one arm of bracket 24. In the other arm. of the bracket there is provided an E-shaped latching slot 31 having vertically aligned lateral notches 32, 32' and 32" in which the lever may be held selectively to regulate the position of diaphragm 17 and valve 21 and at 'ice the same time spring 28 provides for selected operating pressure of the generated gas. If, for any reason, caking of the carbide around the valve 21 should occur, it is only necessary to move lever 29 rapidly up and down in vertical slot 31 to loosen the cake on the valve or in discharge opening 14. In its uppermost position, lever 29 is latched in notch 32 and holds valve 21 in closed position to prevent flow of carbide into the generator tank 33. When the lever is held in notch 32 the valve permits partial flow of carbide and resulting low pressure, while, in the lowermost position of the lever, the valve is fully open. Pressure of spring 28 on diaphragm 17 is also regulated by the position of the lever, it being obvious that the diaphragm is responsive to a lower gas pressure to close valve 21 when the lever is in mid-position than it is when the compression of spring 28 is greater, i. e., when the lever is latched in notch 32".

Hopper 10 is connected to and in communication with a tank or drum 33 through nipple 34 and coupling 35 which is threaded to the lower end of the hopper andto the nipple. The tank may be any conventional receptacle adapted to contain a quantity of water and havingva standard threaded opening. Carbide from the hopper is supplied to the water in the tank through the valvecontrolled discharge opening in the hopper, whereupon gas is generated therein. A lateral opening in coupling 35 communicates with pipe 36 welded to the coupling, the open end of the pipe being closed by a plate 37 held thereagainst by springs 38 bearing against anchors 39 and nuts 40 on bolts 41, the latter also holding the plate in sealing relation to the end of pipe 36. A safety valve is thus provided, the springs 38, the compression of which is adjustable, determining the pressure to which the safety valve is responsive. It is also to be noted that the spring-held diaphragm 17 and sealing plate 25 are adapted to act as a safety valve. By properly adjusting the compression of springs 26, the diaphragm and sealing ring will be lifted in response to a predetermined pressure within the hopper to permit the escape of gas therein.

A back-pressure arrester is shown as a cylindrical container 42 having end closures 43, this container being secured to the hopper by any suitable means but, as shown in the drawings, they are fiat metal connectors 44 welded to the hopper and arrester. A tube 45 within the hopper extends respectively through openings 46, 47 in the top and bottom ends respectively of the hopper. Tube 45 is provided with a removable rubber tube extension 48 which extends through nipple 34 into tank 33. Tube 45 is also connected to a second tube 45' which encircles the container and passes through the side wall of container 42 into the back-pressure arrester, its open end terminating near the bottom end of the container. The arrester contains a sufiicient amount of water, approximately one-third the volume of the tank, to cover the open end of tube 45 so that gas passing through the tube bubbles through the water. A filling spout 49 is shown located at one-third the height of the container to permit introduction of the proper volume of water,

the spout also acting as an overflow for excess water.

After the generated gas has passed through the water and into the upper part of the arrester, it flows through outlet pipe 51, T-coupling 52, and connector 53 into the gas feed line 54, the latter leading to a torch or the like. The connector 53 is preferably one of the quick-detachable type. A pressure gauge is threadedly connected to coupling 52. It is to be noted that the outlet pipe 51 extends radially into the arrester chamber a distance equal to the radius of the arrester and that it is located at a point midway between the ends of container 42. If desired, a filter or drier may be inserted in the gas line.

It will be observed that, by providing a gas outlet pipe equal to the radius of the container and placing it at a aware;

point halfway between the ends of the container, the apparatus may be laid on its'side or inverted without danger of the water entering the gas outlet, the container being 9 s o hi fill w t rw te Also as expla nedh r inbefore, tube'AS' encircles container.43..through 3.6.0, the lower or discharge end of tube .45 being substantially vertically aligned with its connection to tube .45. ,Hence, water escaping into tube 45' when the apparatusis prone or inverted is trapped ,and prevented from fiowing into the generating tank, thus minimizing loss of water from the arrester.

From'the foregoing descriptionit will be understood that a light-weight, compact apparatus isprovided, one which is attachable to existing drums .or tanksusually available at or near thefieldof operation. Thewater ,containing back-pressure arrester is. so connected to the gas generator and feedlinethatthe waterin the .arrester is trappedagainst loss regardless of whether the apparatus is in normal, prone, or inverted'po'sitions. The feed control for carbide supply :is manually. selective to provide foropening and closing of the feed valve as well .as for operation at different pressures.

While a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, it is intended that modifications thereof be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A carbide gas generator comprising a .waterholding tank, a closed carbide container disposed above and in communication at its lower end with said tank, a .valve controlling the supply of carbide to said tank, said container having an opening at the top thereof, a pressure responsive diaphragm connected to said valve and-overlying said top opening, afirst spring bearing atoneend against s'aid dia phragin and opposing'internal pressure in said generator, a bracket having an annular base overlying and engaging the peripheral margin of said diaphragm, other spring means holding said base and said margin against said container to close said top opening, a lever pivoted to said bracket andattached to the other end of said first spring, said bracket-having means for selectively holding said levenin ,a,plurality-of.positionsto vary the compression of said first spring thereby to move said-valve to closed position-atselectedvpressures said other spring means yieldingto. :a predetermined pressure in-said container to permit said diaphragm to be moved away from said 'top opening/thereby to release gas under pressure from said container, and a back pressure chamber containing water and having an inlet in communication with said tank and also having an outlet.

.2. A carbide gastgenerator as: defined in claim .1 in which the communication between-the tank and s'aidinlet includes a conduit encircling said chamber, said ,inlet being disposed at the lower end of said chamber, and said outlet comprises a pipe extending into said chamber a distance 'equalto ,the' radius oflsaid chamber, said outlet pipe being disposed intermediate the ends of said chamber.

References Cited in the file-of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,476,484 Bramblett Dec. 4, 19.23 1,727,981 Sept. 10, 1929 2,344,564 Schepman Mar. 21, 1944 2,367,401 Jones ,Jan. 16, 1945 2,533,117 Johnson Dec. 5,-1950 2,655,441 Langerman Oct. 13, 19.53 

1. A CARBIDE GAS GENERATOR COMPRISING A WATER HOLDING TANK, A CLOSED CARBIDE CONTAINER DISPOSED ABOVE AND IN COMMUNICATION AT ITS LOWER END WITH SAID TANK, A VALVE CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF CARBIDE TO SAID TANK, SAID CONTAINER HAVING AN OPENING AT THE TOP THEREOF, A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE DIAPHRAGM CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE AND OVERLYING SAID TOP OPENING, A FIRST SPRING BEARING AT ONE END AGAINST SAID DIAPHRAGM AND OPPOSING INTERNAL PRESSURE IN SAID GENERATOR, A BRACKET HAVING AN ANNULAR BASE OVERLYING AND ENGAGING THE PERIPHERAL MARGIN OF SAID DIAPHRAGM, OTHER SPRING MEANS HOLDING SAID BASE AND SAID MARGIN AGAINST SAID CONTAINER TO CLOSE SAID TOP OPENING, A LEVER PIVOTED TO SAID BRACKET AND ATTACHED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST SPRING, SAID BRACKET HAVING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING SAID LEVER IN A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS TO VARY THE COMPRESSION OF SAID FIRST SPRING THEREBY TO MOVE SAID VALVE TO CLOSED POSITION AT SELECTED PRESSURES, SAID OTHER SPRING MEANS YIELDING TO A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE IN SAID CONTAINER TO PERMIT SAID DISPHRAGM TO BE MOVED AWAY FROM SAID TOP OPENING THEREBY TO RELEASE GAS UNDER PRESSURE FROM SAID CONTAINER, AND A BACK PRESSURE CHAMBER CONTAINING WATER AND HAVING AN INLET IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID TANK AND ALSO HAVING AN OUTLET. 